Foodie Review: Lily Burger, Friedrichshain, Berlin

Having been to Berlin a few times now, there were a few restaurants I could not wait to revisit when myself and Vanessa went back in March. I was also keen to try out some new places and, luckily, we stumbled upon Lily Burger - a vegan-friendly chargrill steak house. Here's my foodie review...

Located just outside of central Berlin in Friedrichshain, and not too far from the East Side Gallery, Lily Burger specialises in a whole range of weird and wonderful burgers, steaks and chargrilled food. However, for a restaurant that prides itself on the best cuts of meat, it also has an extensive selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes; with all sauces and condiments also being vegan and all made fresh in-house. For you meat eaters on the other hand, Lily Burger sources all of its meat from a small organic farm, located just outside of Berlin, which exclusively supplies them only. Better yet, to preserve the flavour, all meat is air dried at the bone for 28 days.

We originally spotted Lily Burger on Instagram whilst trying to find somewhere new. What first drew us to it (besides the food) was the fun decor. Naturally, the hipsters in us had to see it for ourselves. Decorated with neon lights, graffiti and vintage novelty bits all over the walls, it just screams Berlin. Despite it being a Thursday night, the place was full but luckily we had made a reservation and found a great little spot at the back. Having browsed the large menu and taken some top tips from our waiter, we made our order...

Having had a long day of sight seeing, we went in hard. To share, we ordered a plate of a fries which you can have on their own or mix with other types of fries. For example, you can have sweet potato fries with normal chips or curly fries - all for the same price. And so, Vanessa opted for curly fries whilst I kept mine basic. Vanessa also ordered something I never knew existed - a Kartoffel-Baconrösti (pictured above) or to translate, a potato and bacon resti. This was a potato fritter dish with bacon inside, served with red onions and BBQ sauce. I didn't actually sample this for myself but Vanessa assured me it was delicious.

For main, we both tried the Hanging Tender Steak, 200g (pictured above) served rare - 28 day aged, dry aged bio Black Angus steak (from the shoulder), served with garlic butter and salad leafs. I had never tried shoulder before but I have to say that the cut was fantastic and wonderfully cooked. The seasoning on-top was bursting with flavour and, whilst it may appear to be small, really hit the spot. I wasn't feeling particularly starving that evening but if I had, I would most definitely have added one of their many Steak Topping options which all sounded incredible. Unfortunately for Vanessa, she had ordered her steak medium which meant it was slightly more overcooked than she had hoped. Having tried a bit of her's, it definitely tasted different to mine and so I'd always recommend to go rare or go home when in Germany.

Whether you're visiting for the drinks or to sit down for one of their amazing vertical burgers, I cannot recommend Lily Burger enough. Whilst it may not have been the cheapest dinner we had during our stay in Berlin, you certainly get what you pay for in terms of the quality of the meat and freshness of the food. A side, main and a drink is likely to set you back around €20 which I thought was very reasonable - and you will certainly not leave hungry. If I was to return, I would definitely want to try one of their bizarre burgers and a variety of toppings for sure.

Further to their wide range of beverages and food, I have to say that the staff were fantastic. Everyone was super friendly and couldn't do enough for us all night. And so, if you're ever in Berlin - one of my go-to recommended places would easily be Lily Burger. You can check out their full menu here.

That's it for another foodie review, have you been to Berlin and Lily Burger before? Where are some of your favourite weird and wonderful places to eat? As always, I love reading your comments so please do leave me lots of lovely ones down below. Don't forget you can still check out the rest of my Berlin adventures here.

Until next time fellow foodies,